Review Blog

Jul 14 2015

The Thickety: A path begins by J.A. White

Ill. by Andrea Offermann. The Thickety bk 1. ISBN
9780062257239 (Age: 11+) Highly recommended. Kara lives in a small
community that believes that magic is evil. When she was five years
old her mother was killed because she was a witch and she and her
father and brother are now shunned and tormented by the people of
the village. Nearby is the Thickety a strange and dark wood believed
to the realm of Sordyr. One day Kara is enticed into it by a bird
and uncovers a magical grimoire that has unspeakable powers.
This is an addictive story that is spell binding right from the very
first chapter when in the prologue the reader finds out the awful
way that Kara learnt her mother was a witch and how she managed not
to be hung as a witch as well. From then on the reader is introduced
to Kara and her little brother who face hardship, bullying and
poverty from the narrow minded villagers and their nasty leader. Her
father has not coped at all with the hanging of his wife and it is
Kara who has been forced to take on an adult's role and hold the
family together. She has only one friend, Lucas, who is a Clearer,
part of an outcast group who keep the magical weeds growing near the
Thickety from overtaking the village.
Kara is a fascinating character and finds it difficult to stop using
the grimoire and to do the right thing. The contrast between Grace
the leader's daughter who is power hungry and nasty and wants the
grimoire for her own ends and Kara who can question what is going on
and wants to remain caring and decent, gives the reader the
opportunity to consider power and how it should be used. All the
characters are multi-dimensional and each has a back story that adds
depth to the tale.
The story is often dark and frightening, with its tales of bigotry,
witches, dark forests and bullying, so may not be suitable for
younger children, but its vivid prose and enthralling story has
meant that it has appeared on many Best Book lists, including
Publishers Weekly Best Book and would appeal to a wide age range.
Two more books in the series are due to appear and while the The
Thickety: A path begins was satisfying in itself, there is a cliff-
hanger at its conclusion that will ensure that readers pick up the
next in the series.
Pat Pledger